Retractable dome light



J. V. HOSTETTER RETRACTABLE DOME LIGHT Oct. 22, 1963 Filed March 30, 1962 F/af Jwm/ 1 fiamvrze BY My W.

INVENTOR- ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,187,865 RETRATABLE DOME LIGHT John Virgil Hostetter, 5216 Qochran Road, lieltsville, Md.

Fiied Mar. 30, 1962, Ser. No. 183,883 Claims. (iii. Mil-7.1)

This invention relates to emergency dome lights for police cars, and particularly to the retractable type of dome light for unmarked cars, to enable apprehension of habitual speeders who are careful about speeding only when trailed by a police car which they can recognize as such.

The object of this invention is to provide a retractable dome light for police cars in a convenient place for instant retraction or release by the driver while operating the car, so that in starting pursuit of a speeder, he can readily retract the dome light, and when flagging down his victim he can raise the dome light to its elevated position.

Another object is to provide a well under the light with a spring to normally hold the light in elevated position over the car top, in sealed relation in said top, and a pull rod extending from the bottom of said light through the bottom of the well for pulling the light down into the well and locking it in retracted position by moving a projecting lug on the side of the rod under the edge of the opening in the bottom of the well to lock it in sealed retracted position.

Other and more specific objects will become apparent in the following detailed description of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a side view in elevation of the upper portion of an automobile equipped with a preferred form of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the top of the automobile, as indicated by the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the cross-section taken on the line 33 in FIG. 2.

In the present invention a well It) is set into a round opening in the top 12 of a police car 14, preferably over the back 16 of the front seat to the right of the center of the car, where it is handy for the driver to operate and where the projecting well 19 will present an inconspicuous silhouette when viewed at a distance from the front or rear of the car, since it would be substantially in line with the head of an occupant in the right hand seat (either front or rear); and it could protrude downwardly to near the back of the seat 16 and would still appear somewhat like the head of an occupant even if the driver was alone in the car. Furthermore, this location places the well structure out of the way of passenger traflic into or out of the front or rear seats.

The inner wall surface 18 of the well is cylindrical with a substantially flat bottom 20, and an inwardly extending flange shoulder 22 at the top. The dome light 24 may be cylindrical as shown, or inverted cup or bowl shaped, with a substantially flat ring of stiff material fitted around its top and extending radially to overlap the flange 22 which may be a ring of resilient sealing material to provide a rain proof seal when the light is retracted into the well with substantially no visible projection of the top of the light over the top of the car.

The base 26 of the light has a rod 28 axially extending through a slotted opening in the bottom 20 of the well and biased against a pawl plate 30 by a large coiled spring 32 between the base 26 and the bottom 20 of the well. This spring 32 normally holds the light in extended position over the top of the car and presses the upper edge of the base '26 against the resilient sealing ring 22 to form a rain proof seal when the light is released.

The rod 28 is provided with ratchet teeth 34 on the side of the pawl plate 30 for cooperation therewith when the light is retracted so as to lock the light in retracted position, until it is released by moving the rod in the slotted opening away from the pawl plate 30 to unlatch it until the ratchet teeth have passed the plate 30. The rod 28 is flattened on opposite sides normal to the ratchet side, for guidance in the slotted opening to prevent turning of the ratchet side away from the pawl plate 39. A knob 36 is provided at the end of rod 28 to facilitate manual operation. Obviously suitable automatic means could be provided for retraction and release of the dome light, as well as for turning it on when released and olt when retracted.

Many obvious modifications in the arrangement of parts and in form of details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: v

1. A retractable dome light for police cars and the like comprising a substantially cylindrical well set into the car through its top and having an internal flange substantially flush with the top, a dome light having a circular base freely slidable in said well and having a rod extending downwardly through a slotted opening in the bottom of the well with a knob at its end for manual retraction and release of the light from the inside of the car, a flange of stiff material fixed to the top of said dome light to form a seal with said internal flange when the light is retracted, the upper edge of said base of the dome light forming a seal with said internal flange when the light is released, spring means in said well for normally holding said light in operative extended position when released, and latching means for locking said light in retracted position.

2. A retractable dome light as defined in claim 1, its location being over the back of the right front seat of the car.

3. A retractable dome light as defined in claim 1, said spring means being a large coil spring between the base of the dome light and the bottom of the well.

4. A retractable dome light as defined in claim 3, said latching means comprising a pawl plate fixed to the bottom of said well in slidable contact with said rod, and ratchet teeth on said rod for cooperation with said pawl plate contact edge when the dome light is in retracted position.

5. A retractable dome light as defined in claim 4, said rod being flattened on its opposite sides normal to its ratchet side, and said slotted opening providing a guide for said rod to maintain alignment of said ratchet teeth with said pawl plate edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,303,147 Archibald et al May 6, 1919 1,585,887 Beach May 25, 1926 1,684,695 Draper Sept. 18, 1928 1,918,823 Pfeiifer July 18, 1933 2,738,492 Arneson et al Mar. 13, 1956 2,992,321 Robbins July 11, 1961 

1. A RETRACTABLE DOME LIGHT FOR POLICE CARS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL WELL SET INTO THE CAR THROUGH ITS TIP AND HAVING AN INTERNAL FLANGE SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH WITH THE TOP, A DOME LIGHT HAVING A CIRCULAR BASE FREELY SLIDABLE IN SAID WELL AND HAVING A ROD EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A SLOTTED OPENING IN THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL WITH A KNOB AT ITS END FOR MANUAL RETRACTION AND RELEASE OF THE LIGHT FROM THE INSIDE OF THE CAR, A FLANGE OF STIFF MATERIAL FIXED TO THE TOP OF SAID DOME LIGHT TO FORM A SEAL WITH SAID INTERNAL FLANGE WHEN THE LIGHT IS RETRACTED, THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID BASE OF THE DOME LIGHT FORMING A SEAL WITH SAID INTERNAL FLANGE WHEN THE LIGHT IS RELEASED, SPRING MEANS IN SAID WELL FOR NORMALLY HOLDING SAID LIGHT IN OPERATIVE EXTENDED POSITION WHEN RELEASED, AND LATCHING MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID LIGHT IN RETRACTED POSITION. 